In the morning, I said subdued goodbyes to Doug Kane and Arnie and gratefully boarded the plane for a couple of hours of solitary introspection. I had a measure of relief now that the funeral was over and I could settle down to a level of functional numbness.
By the time the plane landed, I’d mapped out the beginnings of a strategy to trap Stemp.
When we pulled into my yard a couple of hours later, I turned to Spider. “Hey, Spider, I’m having some computer problems. Can you come in and have a look?”
He eyed me tiredly for a few seconds before the subtext got through to him. “Oh! Sure, no problem.”
I turned to Germain. “Thanks for the ride. If you want to head out, I’ll run Spider home when he’s done.”
Germain agreed, and Spider and I went into my house without speaking. Once inside, I held a finger to my lips and retrieved the scanner he’d given me to quickly scan for bugs.
“Clear,” I said, and he sighed relief.
He cocked a quizzical eyebrow at me. “I’m assuming your computer is fine.”
“Yeah. I wanted to talk to you in private before we got started at Sirius again. I’ve been thinking about Stemp. Is there any way you can snoop on what he’s doing at the internet cafe?”
Spider raised an eyebrow. “I have many ways. What exactly did you have in mind?”
“Can you tell if he’s the one that’s sending the messages to Fuzzy Bunny?”
“Not unless I catch him in the act of doing it. I’d have to snoop on his actual session.”
I sighed. “Too bad. That would’ve been too easy, wouldn’t it?” I thought about it for a moment. “I guess we’d better check and see if my filter has caught anything more. If it has, we can cross-check the surveillance footage again...”
My voice trailed off as an idea occurred to me.
“What?” Spider demanded.
“Can you bring up the surveillance records from here?”
“Sure. I just...”
“Happen to have your laptop with you,” I finished for him, and he smiled as he pulled it out of his bag.
“Of course. What are you looking for in the surveillance?”
“I wonder how often Stemp goes to the internet cafe.”
Spider shrugged. “Let’s find out.” His fingers flew over the keyboard.
In minutes, we were looking at surveillance records. As we fast-forwarded through them one after another, I turned to Spider to see my growing smile reflected on his face.
“Well, well. A creature of habit. Isn’t that convenient,” I mused. “So, what are you doing tomorrow morning around eight o’clock?”
“Same thing I’ll be doing at one in the afternoon. And nine at night.” Spider’s predatory grin was incongruous on his boyish face. “Hacking into Stemp’s internet session.”
We reviewed the last of the records, and Spider shut the machine down. “Interesting. He’s like clockwork. Same times, even on weekends. I guess that explains why he was in the surveillance record before. When you do something habitually like that, you just keep doing it and nobody pays any attention.”
I grinned at him. “Except us. Let’s go to Sirius and see if there’s anything new in our filters.”
At Sirius Dynamics, I idled my way to my office while Spider retrieved the network key from the secured area. On a Sunday evening, the only sign of life was the bored guard in the security wicket.
I wandered through the door of my office, turning over strategies in my mind but jerked to a halt with a yelp of surprise when I realized I wasn’t alone.
John Smith stood up from behind my desk. The solid wall of his body odour hit me from six feet away. I surveyed him with disgust, wondering if that was still the same shirt he’d been wearing three weeks ago. I thought the pattern of food stains looked familiar.
“Ms. Kelly,” he greeted me warily.
“What are you doing in here?” I demanded.
He ran a hand through his lank, thinning hair. “Since I’ve been assigned as your handler, I was checking over the structures that you’ve created in the network. I wanted to be prepared for tomorrow morning.” He frowned. “Why are you here tonight?”
“I’ve missed several days of work. I wanted to check my filters to see if there’s anything urgent.”
“I didn’t see anything there,” he said. After a short pause, he continued. “I’m impressed with your program. It shows a surprising level of sophistication.”
I held back my instinctive retort at the patronizing compliment. At least the guy was making an effort to be pleasant. He was probably hoping to get off on the right foot.
Because the last time he’d pissed me off in the network, he’d gotten my right foot in a place that had caused him considerable discomfort.
I smiled. “Thanks.”
Spider appeared in the doorway and halted uncertainly, looking from me to Smith.
“Webb,” Smith greeted him.
“Hi.” Spider glanced at me. “Um...”
“We’re going to be a while, if you want to leave,” I told Smith. Subtle, that’s my middle name.
“As your handler, I need to be here,” he disagreed. “In fact, going forward, I need to be present at all times when you’re in the network. You’ll need to provide me with a schedule of your planned access times.”
Shit. That was going to throw a wrench in the works. I didn’t like him. I didn’t trust him. And I really didn’t like the way he smelled. I tried to sigh and hold my breath at the same time. The resulting grunt was unbecoming.
“Fine. Spider, let’s get started.” I plopped down on the sofa and waited while he set up his laptop. We both ignored Smith when he took a seat at the desk. As soon as Spider gave me the nod, I stepped into the network.
I took deep breaths of the untainted virtual air while I headed for my program. With grim determination, I tamped down the wave of self-pity that threatened. Trading Kane for Smith was like trading an Audi R8 for a manure spreader.
I shook myself and firmly focused my attention on the job at hand. Kane was out of the picture. Suck it up and get on with life.
I managed not to sniffle only because I knew Spider was monitoring me.
As Smith had said, my filters were empty. The good news was that nobody was trying to talk to Fuzzy Bunny. The bad news was that nobody was trying to talk to Fuzzy Bunny. I sighed. I would have preferred to see something there. I was positive Kane hadn’t betrayed me, but a bit of proof would have been really welcome.
I double-checked the program to make sure that it was working. It was, and I made my way back to the portal with a sigh.
I barely noticed the soft impact against my head when I folded over to swear and clutch my headache. As the pain subsided, my stream of profanity was drowned out by angry shouting. I hurriedly dragged my eyes open to see Spider and Smith squared off in front of me. Spider’s fists were clenched, his eyes blazing in his flushed face. I slowly registered his words.
“...dare you! Keep your hands off her, you pervert!”
“I wasn’t.” Smith backed away, his hands raised placatingly. “I wouldn’t, I was just...”
“Is there a problem here?” Germain stepped into the room, his sharp eyes assessing the combatants. I breathed a silent sigh of relief. Germain was about half an inch taller than me, but the breadth of his powerful shoulders made him look short and square. I’d watched him spar in practice with Kane only a few weeks ago. If there had been a problem earlier, it was officially over now.
“Aydan, are you okay?” he asked. “What’s going on?”
I straightened up and let go of my head. “I’m fine. I don’t know what’s happening.”
“He was... He was fondling Aydan while she was in the network!” Spider blurted, his face scarlet. He glared at Smith. “You’re sick!”
“I wasn’t!” Smith’s face was reddening, too. “I was just going to massage her temples.”
Germain frowned. “Aydan? What happened?”
I stared at him while nausea rose in my stomach. “I don’t know. You know I can’t feel anything with my physical body when I’m in the network. It takes a pain stimulus to wake me.”
The nausea intensified with the realization that Smith could literally strip me naked and have sex with my real body while I was in the network, and I’d never know unless he actually caused me pain. I was sure he hadn’t done that, but the thought of it made me shudder violently before I could stop myself.
“Webb,” Germain snapped. “What did you see?”
“Aydan was coming out of the network, and I was just going out to take the key back to the secured area. I realized I’d forgotten to set up our schedule for tomorrow, so I came back in, and he was standing in front of her, running his fingers through her hair...”
“I wasn’t!” Smith barked. “How stupid do you think I am? If I was going to assault her, I wouldn’t do it when I knew she was coming out of the network and I’d be sure to get caught!”
“So you’ve given this some thought,” Germain said evenly.
“No! Jeez!” Smith’s gaze darted around the room as if searching for an escape route. “I’m her handler. I read Kane’s reports, and he noted that massaging her temples helps relieve her pain on exiting the network. I was just trying to help!”
Spider opened his mouth to retort, and I could see this would only devolve into a ‘yes-you-did, no-I-didn’t’ argument. I stood up and put my hand on his arm. “It’s okay, Spider, thanks for looking out for me.”
I turned to Smith. “If you were trying to be thorough, I appreciate it, but for your own safety you shouldn’t come near me when I’m in the network. It can be quite disorienting for me to exit, and I sometimes have violent and unpredictable reactions.”
I met Smith’s eyes. Clearly, he’d gotten the message. He took a step backward as his angry flush drained away. “But... what if you stop breathing again?” he stammered. “Who will resuscitate you? Should I just stand here and watch you die?”
“You don’t need to worry about giving Aydan mouth-to-mouth,” Germain said quietly. “Webb has completed his emergency training. He’ll be with Aydan at all times when she’s in the network from now on. He’ll deal with any medical emergencies that might arise. Isn’t that right, Webb?”
“That’s right,” Spider agreed, his young face hard.
Smith threw up his hands. “Fine! Jeez, I’m just trying to do my job!” He detoured widely around Germain as he stormed out.
“Man, does that guy ever wash?” Germain asked.
I fanned the air in front of my face. “Apparently not. Thanks, Carl. I’m glad you were here.”
His normally cheerful face was sober. “You’re welcome. But you should definitely take precautions. It didn’t occur to me how vulnerable you are when you’re in the network. Everybody else wakes up at the slightest touch.”
I shuddered. “It didn’t occur to me until now, either. I’ve always been with you guys, and I trust you. It never even crossed my mind.”
“Well, thanks, that’s good to hear.” Germain gave me a tired smile. “Take care. See you later.” He strode out the door.
I sighed. “I’ve had it for tonight.”
“Is it okay if we start at nine tomorrow?” Spider asked.
“Actually, I have to be at the Greenhorn at ten,” I told him. “Do you want to meet after lunch? I could be here by...” I thought for a second. I wanted to make sure he had enough time to eavesdrop on Stemp’s session at the internet cafe.
“How about two,” Spider broke in. “I need to spend some time over at the office...” His voice wavered, and we met each other’s eyes miserably. The office he’d shared with Kane.
“Okay, two o’clock it is,” I agreed, trying to avoid the thought. “Come on. I’ll wait for you in the lobby and then I’ll drop you at home.”
“Thanks.” He trudged out the door, his shoulders sagging.
I had the same dream about Kane again and woke up screaming. Sex and death. I knew it was only my subconscious mind replaying my husband’s final moments, but I felt very alone while I lay shivering in bed.
In the morning, I dragged myself into the shower. The bruises and scrapes were still tender, but the stiffness was gone from my muscles. I stood for a long time in the hot spray, wishing it could ease the ache in my heart.
There was still an hour before I needed to leave for the Greenhorn, so I carried my guns out to the firing range for a bit more practice in the morning. I concentrated on drawing the Glock quickly to make fast, smooth shots. If I got another chance, I wouldn’t waste it.
It was another beautiful, hot day and I had time to kill before meeting Spider at two o’clock. I parked at Sirius intending to wait for him there, but on impulse I wandered over to the ice cream shop in the next block and took my place in the lineup. I’d just taken a seat at one of the sidewalk tables when I spotted Mike Connor strolling along the sidewalk toward Sirius.
I waved, and he did a double-take. Consternation filled his face as he made his way rapidly to my side. “Aydan! How did you... How are you holding up?” He examined my bruises. “Are you okay?”
“Fine, thanks, Mike,” I assured him, touched by his obvious concern. I could see why he and Spider had hit it off so well. They were both so gentle and warm-hearted. We chatted for a few minutes before he strode off, and I finished my ice cream cone and headed for Sirius.
Spider and Smith were already waiting for me in my office, and I drew in a deep breath before entering Smith’s noxious aura. At least he saw no need to follow me into the network, and I settled down to my decryption with relief.
I had only been working for a few minutes when Spider’s tense voice interrupted me. “Aydan! I just got an alert!”
I dove for the filter program and quickly decrypted the message. Fury, relief, and fear churned in my gut. That motherfucker Stemp had killed an innocent man. A good man. Kane was definitely in the clear now.
But I was in serious danger, and I didn’t have Kane to watch my back anymore.
I spoke through the network interface. “Our guy’s at it again.” I bit off a more detailed explanation. “Spider, could you please ask Smith to let Stemp know right away?”
“Sure.” There was a pause before his voice came tensely through the interface again. “Aydan, I need a break. I’m going to go over to the Melted Spoon. Want to come?”
“I’ll be right there.” I folded sim-space and stepped out the portal, holding my head together with both hands. By the time I’d finished swearing, Spider was jittering in the doorway.
Anxiety scuttled down my back on icy feet, and I stood a little more briskly than I would have under normal circumstances. I swore some more when I staggered into the coffee table and bruised my shin.
Spider eyed me with concern. “Are you okay?”
“Fine. Just stood up too fast. Let’s go.”
I didn’t have to tell him twice. He strode down the hall at a pace I’d never seen him use before. In the lobby, I turned in my security fob while I waited for him to emerge from the secured facility. When he did, he made a beeline for the exit, and I had to remind him to drop off his own fob before leaving.
Once on the sidewalk, he set a hurried pace for the Melted Spoon. I hadn’t realized how fast those lanky legs could move.
“What’s the hurry?” I panted as I trotted beside him.
I got the distinct impression he was grinding his teeth. “Stemp,” he gritted. “He showed up late today at the internet cafe, wouldn’t you know it? He was just getting started when I had to leave to meet you.”
He shot through the door of the Melted Spoon and had his laptop open on the table before his butt hit the chair. His face was intent while his fingers flew.
Trying to maintain some semblance of casual behaviour, I went up to the counter and ordered us each a cup of tea. I sipped mine while Spider sat engrossed. Finally, he glanced up with a wolfish grin. “Ha! Katya!”
He ducked back behind the screen. At last, he resurfaced with a sigh, rubbing his eyes.
I gave him a raised eyebrow. “What language was that?”
“Bulgarian.”
“Say what?”
“Katya. That’s the name of Stemp’s contact. In Bulgaria. That’s who he contacted this morning and this afternoon.”
“Bulgaria?” I frowned at him. “Does that mean anything to you?”
“Maybe,” he said slowly. “Fuzzy Bunny does a lot of business in the eastern countries. But it wouldn’t make sense for Stemp to be contacting them there, when we’re here.”
He smiled, and I recognized the look of the hunter. “But he’s definitely hiding something. He went to a lot of effort to cover his tracks to Katya, whoever she is. If it is a she.”
“We’d better get back,” I told him. “Smith is going to wonder what the hell we’re doing. Let’s talk while we walk.”
He packed up his laptop, and we meandered down the sidewalk toward Sirius.
I glanced around to be sure nobody was in earshot before speaking. “Spider, this latest message was a request from Stemp for Fuzzy Bunny to contact him.”
His jaw dropped. “Stemp contacted them? You caught him?”
“No. I mean, our guy. I’m just sure it’s Stemp.”
“If you’re sure it’s Stemp, why did you tell Smith to tell him you’d detected a message?”
I shrugged. “Because if he sent the message himself, and if he knew we were monitoring the network, he’d be suspicious if I didn’t.”
“But why would he do that?” His brow furrowed. “Aydan, it doesn’t make sense.”
“Well, he’d have to, wouldn’t he? He wouldn’t want to arouse suspicion if he wanted to stay in his position as director.”
“But... Aydan, he told everybody Kane was the traitor. If he wanted to maintain that story, he wouldn’t send another message he knew we’d catch.”
I groaned and hugged my aching head. “I don’t know why he’s doing what he’s doing, but he’s a lying slimeball. And he murdered an innocent man. That’s all I need to know.”
Spider paced along beside me frowning. “You didn’t mention the contents of the message to Smith.”
“I didn’t want to give anybody more information than necessary. Because I have an idea.”
“What?” He eyed me with interest.
“I think Stemp...” I caught Spider’s eye. “Okay, our guy, whoever he is, will get suspicious if he doesn’t get a response. But this could really work for us. What if we pretend to be Fuzzy Bunny? Tell him this method of contact isn’t secure anymore, and set him up to communicate with us directly? He wouldn’t know it was us; he’d think he was talking to Fuzzy Bunny.”
“A sting!” Spider grinned at me. “That’s brilliant! I love it!”
“Okay, then.” I grinned back at him as we walked into Sirius. “Let’s do it.”
I pulled up short when we came face to face with Stemp in the lobby. The sight of his reptilian features sent pure red rage surging through my veins and I gulped it back, holding onto control by its ragged edges. I felt my fists clench and my shoulders bunch as I took a single step toward him, my eyes locked on his detestable face.
“Aydan...?” Spider’s quavering voice barely penetrated my consciousness. I brushed his restraining hand off and took another step.
Stemp stood his ground, watching me expressionlessly. Another step. He was only about an inch taller than I was, and I glared into his eyes from close range.
“Looks like you were wrong about John.” I was fighting so hard to restrain myself that it came out barely above a whisper. Apparently the menace came through loud and clear, though. His impassive face never changed, but his eyes twitched sideways just a fraction.
Do it, asshole. Make a sudden move. Give me a reason.
We stared at each other in silence.
“Maybe,” he said at last, his voice almost as quiet as mine.
“Aydan!” I became dimly aware that Spider was tugging on my arm, almost whimpering. “Aydan, come on. Let’s go.”
I spared him a glance and as soon as our eye contact was broken, Stemp took a couple of slow, smooth steps backward. Then he turned and strolled away.
I stared holes in his back, my breath hissing through my clenched teeth.
“Aydan, stop. You’re scaring me,” Spider pleaded.
“Sorry.” The word rasped from my constricted throat. I swallowed again and tried to unclench my muscles. Violent tremors shook me.
“Come and sit down.” Spider tugged me gently toward one of the reception chairs.
I sat stiffly and stared into middle distance while I imposed yoga breathing, struggling to calm down.
“Everything okay?” Germain eyed me with concern on his way through the lobby.
Great. Of course I had to make a spectacle of myself when everybody was coming back from lunch. Although come to think of it, he must have taken a late lunch, too.
“Fine.” I managed a more civilized tone this time. I stood carefully and made my way to the security wicket to pick up my fob, avoiding his gaze.